Bike Adventures
Santa Pola Harbor (July 24th, 2021)
This time I did the same trip to the coast, arriving at the same roundabout north of Guardamar, however, instead of heading down, I decided to head up north towards a coastal town named La Marina. I went through it, passed El Pinet and went straight to Santa Pola, without being too sure I was gong to make it. It was a nice view, with all those salt lakes surrounding the highway. Upong arriving to Santa Pola, I followed one of the road cyclist who previously overtook me, and soon enough I was at the harbor. Chill ride!
Water Mill Park (July 10th, 2021)
Yesterday I wanted to go a bit further than last time, with the aim of exploring some of the places I used to frequent as a child living by the coast. This time instead of stopping at the Dunes, I took the roundabout exit to the south and headed towards Guardamar town, went through the main road and got out through a little path that went under the highway (N-332). The first stop of the journey was at Mirador El Moncayo, a lookout from where you can admire the beach, and maybe the ruins below if you've got good enough eyesight or a pair of binoculars. Here I ate half a banana and drank like a third of the water; I wanted to keep enough reserves for what was coming.
After that little break, it was time to continue. There's a very nice bike lane parallel to the highway that takes you straight to the entrance of La Mata. Even though it was 8AM, there was a fair amount of people using the lane, not just riding bikes. It seems to be a major link between the two towns when going by foot. On the way I saw a couple of places that brought some memories, and when I got there I saw an old friend's house, although I don't think he lives there anymore. It's been thirteen years or so, and of course the town had changed significantly: the plaza, the tower by the sea, my mom's old workplace, the promenade where they used to sell Top Manta CDs (they probably still do, just not at 8AM), and so many more places. Yeah, we explored every inch of this town as kids, great memories indeed.
The last stop before going back home was the aforementioned Molino de Agua (Water Mill). I sat by the fountain, near one of the little falls that follow its elongated shape along the west side of the park, and pulled out Why Don't We Learn from History? by Liddell Hart. I enjoyed the reading for one hour or so, then hit the road back to Albatera.
The return trip was chill, however, I made a mistake. See, the only food I brought with me was a banana, and in addition to that, half a litre of water, which now was down to a fourth. I stopped to take a little break at Dolores, near the south entrance, by the sports center, and I felt a bit worked up. I ate the rest of the banana, drank all the water I had left and hopped on the bike. After passing through Dolores and Catral, I decided I needed to grab some more water, because the heat was affecting me in strange ways. I was DREAMING about water, about coconut and orange juice, about watermelon. Since I was well ahead of Catral by this time, the only option before getting home was El Realengo, a very small town, or district rather, just in the middle; Yet when I got there, they had nothing. There was a bar... and that's it. The rest were houses, a primary school, a plaza, so I took yet another break, hidden in the shadows of the closest wall I could find, and hit the road, this time with no intention of stopping anywhere but home.
It was a great experience, as always. Next time I will prepare better and try to visit the natural, salty lake park in west La Mata. I'll have to walk a lot though, but it will be fun.
BTW: This time I didn't take any pictures. I'm thinking of getting a camera, not too professional, but enough to pull it out, frame a landscape and shoot! I hope I can take at least a picture of the key places I visit next time.
Guardamar Dunes (June 26th, 2021)
I wanted to go to the beach and, since next week I am working from home, which means no commuting, I decided to do a trip to the nearest shore home: The Dunes of Guardamar, located between Guardamar and La Marina.
